Various diseases are known in which the metabolism of iron is not normal. In anemia, not enough blood can be formed due to an overall lack of iron in the body. Hemochromatosis, is another metabolic condition in which the overall concentration of iron in the body is higher than normal leading to various deleterious health conditions, including the destruction of organs.
Disturbances of iron distribution differ from the above-described metabolic disorders (anemia and hemochromatosis) in that the overall concentration of iron in the body is normal. However, the iron concentrations are misdistributed throughout the body. Thus, excess iron is accumulated in various organs and can lead to damage, even destruction, of these organs. In contrast, less than normal quantities of iron are available for the formation of blood, leading to secondary effects which are comparable to those related to anemia.
Until now it was not known that patients suffering from heart diseases have a high probability of being affected by disturbances of iron distribution. Disturbances of iron distribution can be diagnosed by various parameters which are commonly used in the diagnosis of the iron status. Based on measurements of ferritin and soluble transferrin receptor it is possible to assess whether the overall concentration of iron in a patient suffering from heart diseases is normal. If this is the case, then a lowered concentration of Hemoglobin in reticulocytes is an indicator for disturbances of iron distribution. Another indicator is a continously/prolonged elevated concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients suffering from heart diseases and exhibiting a normal overall iron concentration. A method for diagnosing disturbances of iron distribution has been described by P. Lehmann, M. Volkmann, J. Lotz, A. Baldauf, R. Roeddiger, poster presented at the AACC/CSCC, Annual Meeting, Jul. 29-Aug. 2, 2001, Chicago, Ill.
So far, no treatment has yet been suggested for patients with heart diseases suffering from disturbances in iron distribution.